Germany's Nocte Obducta have been a lot like Blut Aus Nord in terms of the progression of their sound over the course of their discography. Much like their French contemporaries, the band began their sonic assault with a more straight-edge, albeit darkly atmospheric, traditional black metal approach. Then, towards the middle of their career, that sound began to evolve into some more progressive territory with the fantastic Nektar albums, until only recently taking a more avant-garde approach with 2011's Verderbnis. Now, in 2013, Nocte Obducta have refined the formula employed on their previous album into a more cohesive result, the final product being Umbriel, an excellent work that sees the band branching out beyond their traditional black metal confines unlike ever before.